Spoiled

We were really and truly spoiled by our wedding guests. So much so that I worry that our little thank you cards are not enough to convey how grateful we are to our guests for 1) attending our shindig and 2) their generosity...

That said, we were excited when Debenhams called to say that they will be delivering all of the items bought off of our registry next week. There is a lot of kitchen stuff so it will be just in time for the Christmas baking rush! I'm really looking forward to finally cooking with this bad boy:

We were also able to purchase some larger items thanks to our guests. We picked up this crate at one of my favorite stores. It is perfect for storing away all of our outdoor gear as our flat only has 1 tiny closet.

One of our local antique shops gave us a deal on this blanket box, which we're using to actually store blankets and as a coffee table. I love how it still has the original candle box inside.


The boy's favorite purchase is our new armchair. I love it too. It's an ex-display model so it had 2 small marks on the back but as it was almost 70% off, we decided we could not pass it up. We're saving up to hopefully buy another one in the coming year...

We also were given the queen sized version of the Hudson's bay blanket that is draped over the armchair. It has already been put to good use (no central heating and single-paned windows = cold nights) and it reminds me of home on a daily basis!

The final big purchase was our Dyson. I honestly get a perverse pleasure emptying the canister after using it. It is so satisfying to see all of the dirt it has sucked up...I'm weird, I know.

Welcome bags and favours

We assembled welcome bags for our out-of-town guests and our favours in the first few days after we arrived home. After what had happened, it was useful to have tasks on which to focus. We kept the welcome bags fairly simple and the majority of supplies were purchased at Costco. Each bag contained some granola bars, Twizzlers, Ketchup chips (a Canadian 'delicacy'), some sweets, and our welcome booklet. Each bag had a little label saying Welcome to Ontario, which was the same as the cover of the welcome booklet. The bags weren't too costly and I think that our guests were happy to receive them when they checked into their hotels.


The favours were 3 Green and Black chocolate bars simply wrapped in brown paper and tied with green baker's twine. We attached a little hand-written 'thank you' onto each favour. The whole assembly process went really quickly and I don't think my Dad's pool table has ever seen so much action...

Running before the wedding

I can't remember whose idea it was to run a half marathon a week before the wedding. It seemed rather foolish in the busy last few weeks before we flew back to Canada but it was great to have a goal that we could work towards together. This was our first attempt at long distance running and although we never talked on any of the long runs (mainly to conserve energy), it was comforting to have the other person there after 90 minutes of running.

Running the half marathon with Lee made me love him even more. He put up with my crusty self (which appeared at around 17 kms) and kept encouraging and cheering me on (even when I was telling him to shut the f* up). Even though I told him to leave me when my pace slackened, he stayed with me and we finished together, holding hands as we crossed the line. Cheesy, I know, but I was so proud of us (team McWood!).


I swore that I would never do this again but we've started looking at maybe doing the Stratford on Avon half in April... :)

Hi there

We've both been back to work for 2 weeks now and the wedding trip already seems a bit of a blur We returned back to the UK a week earlier than planned for the funeral, which allowed us to spend a lot of time with Lee's family and try to come to terms with what happened.

The wedding was a beautiful, joyful day filled with lots of love and some tears. I was worried I was going to be a blubbering idiot throughout the day but I felt so incredibly happy that I had a perma-grin on all day. It was difficult day at times, particularly when we were doing the family pictures as there were 2 important people missing (Lee's step mum decided not to make the trip).

We're gearing up for the UK party next weekend now. It will be nice to see Lee's large extended family in happier circumstances and my family will making the trip over too.

No professional pictures yet, but we have several hundred pictures from guests uploaded to our Flickr website. I honestly smile to myself whenever I look through them all...I'll try to recap the day, if only to have a record of what happened and how I felt on the day. Some favorite pictures from our guests: